Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-07
A THRILLING RESCUE.
COLLAPSE OF A WATER TOWER WITH
FRIeHTFUL EFFECTS.

Five workmen Crushed to Death, Others
Wounded, and Four Left Clinging to q
lettering Wall SIxty-fiye Feet Above
Ground The Latter Extricated from
Their Perflous Position.
MACON, Ga, Dec -Four men were instantly
killed, three seriously and perhaps fatally in
jured, and four left clinging like human flies
to the ruins sixty feet above the ground, by
the falling Of a water tower at Townsville. Ga.'
Tuesday morning. 1t was about 10 O'Clock when
the crash came. 1t could he heard for half
mile and people rushed to the scene from every
direction A horrible sight met their eyes Pro
truding from the ruins could be seen portions OF
the bodies OF the dead and injured, the latter
calling for assistance. while clingng to the sides
Of that portion of the tower still standing, with
nothing to clutch or rest their feet but preca-
riously projecting bricks, were four men left I'M
injured by the crash, but in imminent danger OF
being dashed to pieces by falling to the stones
below.
Although of rescuing the dead and injured
was temporarily abandoned in the face OF the
peril of those clinging to the wall. When the
hook and ladder company arrived a new horror
was added to the situation by the discovery that
the ladders would not reach within twenty feet
of the men above. A rescue with ropes was the
only chance left A brick tied to cord, which
was in turn fastened to rope, was thrown into
the air, and fell on the other side OF the wall.
score OF hands quickly pulled the rope within
reach OF one of the imperiled men.
At this moment tire wall swayed and looked as
il it was about to tamble over and add more vic
Tins TO the death list but it did not and the
man released his hold of the bricks, went down
the rope hand over hand until he reached the
top nf ba adj m lad tn
As he reached the earth great cheer went up
from the crowd, but it quickly subsidized at re-
membrance of the danger the remaining three
men were still confronting. The rope was
moved from one OF the trio to the other until at
last all stood safe below
| The men thus snatched from the jaws OF death
are: Parnell, white. brick mason; W, Spearing,
| white; William Walton, colored. and Joseph
/ Earnest colored
| Attention was next turned to those buried in
| the debris. The following were taken out dead.
| terribly crushed and disngured: T. j. P, Rom
| merdall, white; Joseph Moore, white; Joseph
Fabian colored: Lewis Wells, colored.
| Rommerdall was the contractor. He leaves q
| wife and three children.
| -Four negroes were seriously injured. They
are, Edward Dorsey Frank Fatzam, John Tate,
William kennedy. Fatzam will not live. The
recovery of the others is still problemstical.
| The accident WAS caused by the removal of
| the supports which acted as braces between the
outer walls of the tower and the center piece, q
| solid piece of brick masonry six feet in diane
ter and seventy feet in height The strain caused
by the hosting of brick to the top of the tower
saused the pier to oscillate and finally collapse,
iemoishing the outer wall and it fell, carrying
/ with it the scaffolding on which the men were
stiIl at work. That none of the people passing in
the street below were not killed is surprising.